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About Renaming

On Naming It Right The First Time

Changing names is tricky. At the very least, a name change is going to leave you changing signage and ordering some new business cards; often it implies an entirely new direction for your company. We’ll be honest: name changes are a big part of our business. It’s relatively rare that someone gets it right the…

Don’t Call It Anything: House Bills and Hurricanes

Even without Katrina and Audrey, hurricanes with female names are twice as deadly as their masculine counterparts, according to a recent study. The theory: potential victims aren’t as threatened by feminine-sounding storms, don’t prepare as diligently, and suffer the consequences. If a clearer case for the power of the name exists, we’ve yet to hear…

The NFL Wouldn’t Rename the Redskins, So We Did

Does your name offend a substantial number of human beings? Is it an outdated, horrible slang term from the early 19th century? Is it possibly illegal? Does it, by its very nature, reduce that same group of people to a skin tone? If so, you might be in the market for a name change! Yes,…

The Difficulties of Brand Building Online

These days, a strong online presence is essential to establishing any kind of successful brand. Whether you’re starting a fresh new business venture or rebranding a company that for whatever reason needs an image makeover, brand building online is hard work and doesn’t happen overnight. There are many elements to brand building online, ranging from…

Rebranding: Companies that Succeeded

There are many things to consider when rebranding companies. A rebrand might simply consist of a new logo, or even just updated colors. Or it could be a new company name and an entire visual makeover. Truly successful rebranding means understanding your company’s situation well enough to judge what level of rebranding is right for…

business-renaming-flow-chart

Should you rename your business? Check our flow chart

Deciding to rename your business is a pretty big decision. Do you have too much brand equity? Too many stakeholders? Does your name connect with your audience? Can it? So we created this flow chart to help you sort through the key issues in renaming a business. If you run into any snags, we’re here…

Girls: the best reality show on television.

The phrase “Reality TV” is up there with the most misused phrases in the English language. What part of Reality TV is reality, exactly? Is it the Immunity Idols? Eight person communes designed for conflict by psychologists? Makeup-caked housewives yanking each other’s extensions for screen time? If this is reality, kill me now. Thankfully (and…

Sara Lee wants more meat

Sara Lee is trading in her bag of flour for a bottle of barbecue sauce. The company — once known for its homely breads and microwaveable cheesecakes — announced today that it is changing its name to Hillshire Brands Co., part of a larger move toward its Hillshire Farms brand of hotdogs, sausages and packaged…

IKEA gets tongue-tied in Thailand

Do you speak Thai? What about Swedish? If you answered yes to both, IKEA could really use your help. The ready-to-assemble furniture and meatball maker, famous as much for its snap-together chairs and bookshelves as it is for its unique naming strategy, has its hands full translating its bizarre product names into foreign languages without…

Name dropping leaves Google in hot water with Iran

Somewhere along the way, Google isn’t sure exactly when, the Persian Gulf became the world’s most important body of water without a name. A Google spokesman says it dropped “Persian Gulf” because, you know, in the world of geography things are always changing. Iran is not taking kindly to this disappearing act, calling it a…

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